The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner, Alan Gold

Hanover Square Affairby Anonymous

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November 26, 2003: Captain Lacey is no longer in the military and is now living in London. One day he comes upon a mob throwing things at a home in Hanover Square. Since Hanover Square is one of the wealthier neighborhoods of London, a riot is one of the last things he would expect to find there. A young officer shoots Mr. Thornton, the leader of the mob. Captain Lacey comes to his rescue and helps Mr. and Mrs. Thornton get home. Mr. Thornton's maid, Alice, tells Captain Lacey that Mr. Horne lives in the house in Hanover Square. She also tells him that Mr. Thornton believes Mr. Horne kidnapped his daughter, Jane, and her maid, Aimee, from their carriage. They are still missing. Captain Lacey finds that Mr. Horne is associated with Mr. Denis -- not someone to get tangled up with. Mr. Grenville, Captain Lacey's friend, assists him in looking for Jane, but discourages him from interacting directly with Mr. Denis. Then Mr. Horne is found dead in his study. Aimee is found bound and drugged in a wardrobe just feet away from where Mr. Horne was killed, but Jane is nowhere to be found. As Captain Lacey and Mr. Grenville continue investigating to find Jane, they are told of another girl's disappearance. They end up putting themselves in great danger to locate Jane. The only thing I had trouble with was the setting -- London in 1816. I rarely read books set back that far in time, but I actually enjoyed this book. Captain Lacey is a very likeable fellow. His past has caused him much pain and he is trying to survive in a very tough world. I found the other characters, although some of them were less reputable, to be very well constructed. From her descriptions, I got a real sense of London in the 1800's. I recommend this book.

Hanover Square Affairby Anonymous

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October 08, 2003: Regency England in 1816 is not the best place for a lame soldier on half pay with no prospects and no hope of finding any. Captain Gabriel Lacey and his commanding officer were asked to leave the army to avoid a court martial and scandal but the animosity between the two men exist to this very day. Still his ex-commander?s wife Louisa tries to mend the breach that she was inadvertently responsible for causing.

Lacey rejects her overture but on his way to visit her without her husband there, he runs into a mob intending to assault the home of Josiah Horne. This curious captain goes to visit Josiah who thinks he wants the direction of a powerful man in the underworld. When he returns to the home to get the name, he find the man dead and castrated and a young girl drugged in a hidden compartment in the closet. He learns that another girl was there as well and he intends to find her or die trying.

The protagonist of THE HANOVER SQUARE AFFAIR is one of the most honorable men to grace the pages of a mystery book. He will risk his own life to right a wrong and that is the reason the audience will come to care for him and hope one day in his future he will find happiness. Ashley Gardner?s debut novel compares favorably with writers who have made the best seller list.

Harriet Klausner